CCAA Volleyball Apprentices Announced

The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) is proud to announce its 2021-22 participants in the annual Female Apprentice Coach Program (FACP) for the sport of Volleyball.

This season, 12 former student-athletes are being mentored in CCAA Volleyball. This week, we feature three apprentices from the East – two from the Ontario Colleges Athletic Assocation (OCAA) and another from the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA).

At Durham College in the OCAA, Cassidy Nicholson-Clarke is being mentored by Tony Clarke with the Lords.

Nicholson-Clarke, a two-time CCAA Academic All-Canadian, was a member of the Women’s Volleyball team at Durham for four seasons.

After beginning the process of becoming a certified coach within the National Coaching Certification Program, she was selected to coach the Region 4 Girls Volleyball team at the Ontario Summer Games in 2020. Nicholson-Clarke then coached at the Team Ontario Academy last summer. In addition, she has volunteered at multiple clinics and team practices with local clubs in the Durham Region.

Because Nicholson-Clarke has played with many of the Lords’ players before, she will focus on working closely this season with first-year student-athletes.

“I believe this program will be a great steppingstone towards the true beginning of my coaching career and help me determine my own unique coaching style, whilst learning different techniques and styles from a high-level, distinguished coach,” said Nicholson-Clarke.

She will be mentored by Coach Clarke, the 2017 CCAA Women’s Volleyball Coach of the Year, who joined the Lords program in 2014. He previously worked with CCAA female coach apprentices Kourtney Cyr (2014-15) and Tess Newey (2018-19).

Meanwhile, at Fanshawe College in the OCAA, Montana Woodhouse is being mentored by Patrick Johnston with the Falcons.

Woodhouse, an assistant coach at Fanshawe the last two seasons, has already begun building an impressive coaching resume.

After her first experience in coaching with the London Volleyball Club, she quickly got involved with the Ontario Volleyball Association and coached with their Team Ontario programs. Last summer, Woodhouse worked with U16 and U17 athletes with Team Ontario Red. She has also had the opportunity to coach at several camps, including London Volleyball Camp and Madawaska Volleyball Camp.

Although assisting with practices and developing student-athletes is a major portion of coaching, Woodhouse is excited to learn more about game planning and scouting opponents, as well as assisting with player recruitment with the Falcons.

“I know that coaches wear many hats, inside and out of the gym, and I hope to learn as much as I can about running a program like the one at Fanshawe,” she said. “I believe I have the skill sets to coach on the court, but it’s the intangibles and all of the off-court coaching that I think I would benefit most from.”

Woodhouse will work closely with Johnston, who has eight years of coaching experience at the OCAA and CCAA levels. Johnston, who earned the CCAA Coaching Excellence Award in 2019, is a highly regarded technical coach within the Ontario Volleyball Association.

The duo previously worked together at the London Volleyball Club, where Johnston serves as the Club’s Technical Director.

Finally, at the University of King’s College (UKC) in the ACAA, Adora Rooyakkers is being mentored by Beate Shannon with the Blue Devils.

Rooyakkers played four seasons of Women’s Volleyball at the University of New Brunswick in the Atlantic University Sports (AUS) league.

She’ll work closely with Shannon, who has benefited immensely from mentor relationships herself with U Sports coaches, Provincial Sport Organizations as well as National Beach Coaching staff.

“As a mentor I bring experience in coaching from a variety of levels and programs, both indoor and beach volleyball,” said Shannon. “These relationships have provided insight, training and a different perspective from which to learn and broaden my coaching knowledge.”

Shannon is currently a Performance Coach in Training in preparation for the 2021 Canada Games and is also part of the Canadian Sports Centre Atlantic VIP Coaching Program.

Rooyakkers has gained some coaching experience herself, volunteering at local volleyball camps. She is also an assistant coach with the U16 Tigers Club team.

In addition, Rooyakkers recently became an official and was awarded the Volleyball New Brunswick Official’s Association Referee of the Year in 2019.

“I hope to become a coach that helps players fall in love with the game and continue to grow as a player, as a leader and as a person – just as many of my previous coaches have done for me,” she said.

The FACP, which is funded in part by Sport Canada, is designed to identify and support female graduating student-athletes who demonstrate the desire and skills for coaching by providing them mentorship and practical coaching experience in the CCAA.